Sleepless Under a Winter's Snowfall
by Lab Cat
Summary: SEASONS UNIVERSE. Semi-canon prequal of Naruto. Uchiha Itachi and Hyuuga Shiro both never expected to have such a handful of a teammate, especially one that affects the entire universe. The story of their lives before and after the Uchiha Massacare.


Warning: If you read up to chapter 238 in the Naruto manga, then you will understand most of the events in this story. If you have read at least the first chapter of xxxHOLiC, then you will understand one of the basic beliefs of the characters (of this story). This is a recommendation.

Disclaimer: Naruto is created by Masashi Kishimoto. xxxHOLiC is created by CLAMP.

Sleepless Under A Winter's Snowfall

Prologue: _In Medias Res_

Looking tired, she takes a long drag from the cigarette, dangling in her fingers, then goes into a coughing fit from inhaling the smoke. A young man walking towards her, hands a cup to her with some clear liquid, which she takes quickly and dumps unceremoniously into her awaiting mouth. Still coughing lightly and wiping her mouth with her arm, the young woman sets the cup down and offers her cigarette to the male that just sat beside her.

"No thanks. Those things will kill you." Laughing lightly, the female puts it out.

"True. Father always told Asuma-san that they would, but they didn't. What a way to go, Asuma-san."

"You also shouldn't drink your medication like that. You might end up coughing it up again." Glaring, she punches the arm closest to her. Since it was the left arm she hit, he grabs it with a hiss. Softening her look, she turns away from the man beside her.

"Sorry. I forgot."

"Not your fault."

"We chose it, right? Willingly?" She turns her head back to him, locking into an ebony gaze.

"Not for noble intentions." He stares back at dulling gold orbs.

"Obviously, you idiot." She shifts her weight, so that she is lying on his lap. "I'd lean on your shoulder if it wasn't injured, but…"

With his right arm, he pushes the girl off of his lap, growling. "Don't do that. People will get the wrong message."

"And that message is…?"

"I'm stealing Mizushima-san's woman."

"I'm Ken-kun's _**wife**_, not woman, bastard."

"What's the difference?"

"You make me sound like some kind of possession, a slave."

"Isn't it after marriage, historically? The wife is the husband's possession, a thing."

"Keep talking like that and you won't be able to reproduce with Oneesan."

"Didn't you give me our blessing?"

"Only if you would stop running away from Oneesan."

"Do you know that your father is haunting my dreams on occasion? I can't sleep properly anymore."

"And you're telling me this because…?"

"What do you think? You _**are**_ my shrink." Giving a sigh, the youth lies back onto the grassy floor, his eyes closed and narrowed. His bandaged left is lying on top of his abdomen. Long ebony locks tied with string sprawls under his head. His jounin uniform, especially the vest, worn down by years of wear, is still stained slightly by the blood from the battle earlier. His eyes open, to reveal crimson orbs instead of normally dark ones.

The young girl beside him props her head with her right arm and faces the man beside her. The sleeves of her dark purple yukata are pulled back so she can have free rein of her arms. She pokes his side lightly.

"Does it hurt?"

He turns to her, a soft and sad look in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

She turns her back to him. "Your heart?"

He closed his eyes again. "Yeah. It does."

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault."

"That's what you think."

_Childhood friends._

_Rivals._

_Family._

_This is only a small list that defines the relationship of these two youths._

"How old are you right now? I can't seem to remember."

"I'm 13 right now. I'm not dying anytime soon. You said that right?"

"I said I'd keep you alive so you won't make Oneesan cry. Suicide and casualty of war are not good excuses to keep you from marrying Oneesan."

"You probably tie my spirit to her."

The 12-year-old girl sits up and looks out at her village from the top of the Hokage monument. Strands of white hair blows out, spraying her hair into the winds.

"Strong wind today," he comments.

"She's in town, like I need another headache." She lies back down.

The 13-year-old changes his eyes back to normal ebony and stands. "Got to go. Hyuuga-senpai and I have a mission together."

"Say hello to Shiro-kun for me."

"You should be calling him 'senpai'… on that note, same with me."

"Fat chance. See ya later, Itachi no baka."

"Fine, fine…Hime-sama." He gives her a smirk before be disappears, and before she can kick him off the monument.

_In secretive and nameless Shinobi wars, many have fought and loss. New leadership is needed for a new future to be brought upon. Before that youth steps up to his appointed role, he will need to face several challenges, many personal._

_His greatest step is now, not to find something precious, but to understand why it is still precious._

_His mentor has given choices, made choices, and lost choices. It is part of what she wants for him in his future._

_This is her story. We learn about her side of his story._

_Her family, her friends, her hardships and her own personal struggle of why something is precious to her and how much she is willing to give up for it._

_As one woman had said to her once during her travels:_

_"In this world, there is no such thing as coincidence. There is only hitsuzen._(1)_"_

END NOTES: The title means "into the middle of things" in Latin; a literary technique used by many writers, like Homer, Virgil and Milton.

(1) – this is in reference to chapter 1 in xxxHOLiC by Yuuko, when she explains to Watanuki that nothing in this world happens for no reason or by coincidence but is meant to happen because certain events have preceded for this event to have occurred.


End file.
